Home › Research › Getting a diagnosis
Missing data and imputation in the international studies following the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol
Erik Meijer, Ying Liu. The Journals of Gerontology Series B, 2025-11-04
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Various missing codes were used to document reasons for missingness. Overall, the rates of missingness were low, around 15% of observations in studies for India and China, and up to 7% for other countries. Item-level missingness and missing subinterviews (neurocognitive assessments on the older adults or their informants' reports) were imputed using chained equations. Dementia classification was also imputed for individuals in the parent studies from the Health and Retirement Study-International Family Studies (HRS-IFS), of which the HCAPs are substudies. The current practice worked well in the HCAP studies. We include concrete recommendations on best practices for study design, data collection, and post hoc treatments to mitigate challenges due to missing data, and for use and reporting of the imputed HCAP data.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Meijer, E., & Liu, Y. (2025). Missing data and imputation in the international studies following the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol. The Journals of Gerontology Series B. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf223
Vancouver
Meijer E, Liu Y. Missing data and imputation in the international studies following the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol. The Journals of Gerontology Series B. 2025. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbaf223. PMID: 41454986.
BibTeX
@article{meijer2025-41454986,
author = {Meijer, Erik and Liu, Ying},
title = {{Missing data and imputation in the international studies following the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol}},
journal = {The Journals of Gerontology Series B},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbaf223},
pmid = {41454986},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbaf223}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Various missing codes were used to document reasons for missingness.
- Overall, the rates of missingness were low, around 15% of observations in studies for India and China, and up to 7% for other countries.
- Item-level missingness and missing subinterviews (neurocognitive assessments on the older adults or their informants' reports) were imputed using chained equations.
- Dementia classification was also imputed for individuals in the parent studies from the Health and Retirement Study-International Family Studies (HRS-IFS), of which the HCAPs are substudies.
- The current practice worked well in the HCAP studies.
Why it matters
This paper describes that missing data rates in international Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol studies were low, and item-level missingness was imputed using chained equations. The current practice worked well, and the authors include recommendations for best practices in study design, data collection, and reporting of imputed data.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Getting a diagnosis →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 38/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The Journals of Gerontology Series B) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | The Journals of Gerontology Series B: journal h-index 225 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 1 / 7 | Cited 3 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.0 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.6× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 3 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Ying Liu: h-index 25 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Southern California: institution h-index 1,521 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 41454986) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 38 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbaf223
- PubMed: 41454986
- Original source →
- Free full text: The Journals of Gerontology Series B →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
1 study in the alzhub library lists this one in its references.
Related studies in Getting a diagnosis
Also tagged “examination”
840 studies in the library carry the topic tag “examination”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 840 tagged studies.